Albert d



(No Model.)

A. D. SMITH.

BUCKLE.

No. 451,281. Patented Apr. 28, 1891,

UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT D. SMITH, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE VATERBURY BUCKLE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 451,281, dated April 28, 1891.

Application filed February 16, 1891. Serial No. 381,684. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. SMITH, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference. marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a front view of the buckle complete; Fig. 2, a rear view of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal horizontal section cutting on line w :0 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an end view of the buckle, showing the suspender engaged therewith; Fig. 5, a side View of the buckle, showing the clamping-plate as turned out of its engaged position; Fig. 6,21. vertical section through the buckle complete; Fig. 7, a front View; Fig. 8, an end View of the buckle-frame detached; Fig. 9, a front View, and Fig. 10 and end view, of the clamping-plate detached.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of buckles designed especially for suspenders, and in which the frame is preferably made from wire composed of an upper and lower side connected by two ends,

the lower side constructed for the attachment of the suspender-ends by a depending hook or otherwise, the upper side of the frame being thrown forward of the plane of the frame, and withwhich is combined a loop arranged to slide up and down on the two sides of the frame toward and from the upper bar and to swing on the two ends backward and forward as a hinge, the lower bar of the loop forming a jawin rear of the upper side of the frame and so as to clamp the strap or suspender between the said jaw and the said upper side of the frame, the strap or suspender passing first through theloop between the jaw and the upper side of the frame, thence down, returned through the frame to the rear a common and well-known construc tion of buckle. In the usual construction the loop or clamping-plate is loose or disengaged from the frame, except by the holes through which the ends of the frame pass, and the loop or clamping-plate being so free is liable to accidental displacement, and so as to permit disengagement from the strap or suspender.

The object of my invention is the construction whereby the clamping-plate will be interlocked with the frame when in the engaged position,so as to avoid such accidental disengagement; and the invention consists in the construction, as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

As in the usual construction, the frame is made from wire, and is composed of the upper side or bar a and the lower side I), connected by the two ends 0 c, the lower side being constructed with the depending hook d or otherwise,as a convenient means for the attachment of the suspender-ends. The upper side a is thrown forward out of the plane of the body of the frame, as seen in Figs. 7 and 8.

The loop or clamping-piece e is best made from sheet metal. It is constructed with an opening f in its upper edge to form the loop through which the suspender or strap may pass, and upon the lower side of this opening f the metal is turned outward to form the jaw g. Near each end of the plate is an opening h, which corresponds to the ends 0 c of the frame, and through which those ends may pass, and so that the clamping-plate e will slide freely up and down on the frame, as indicated in Fig. 5, the plates swinging on the sides as a hinge, but so that when the plate is raised to its up position and turned forward the jaw 9 will come forward over the upper side a of the frame.

In introducing the strap the clamping-plate is turned back, as represented in Fig. 5, the suspender is passed through the loop f, and thence between the jaw g of the plate and the upper side a of the frame. Then the clampingplate is raised to bring the jaw to its up position, and turned forward, which brings the holes in the plate into the bends of the sides, as seen in Fig. 6, and so that the jaw will clamp the suspender between itself and the upper side a of the frame. Then the end of the suspender is run through the frame below the plate, as represented in Fig. 4.

As thus far described the buckle is of common construction.

There being no provision to interlock the clamping-plate with the frame, it is liable, when there is no tension upon the strap, to turn on the frame, as represented in Fig. 5, and so as to permitthe disengagement of the suspender and the general derangement of the .buckle. To overcome this difficulty I construct the ends of the plates below the holes 72. with projecting ears 2', which are turned rearward and inward, as seen in Fig. 3, but outside the ends 0 of the frame, and so that when the clamping-plate is brought to its up position, as described, and turned into a plane parallel with the plane of the frame these cars '5 will be forced over the ends of the frame, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and at, and so as to interlock with the frame to prevent accidental displacement. The metal of the plate is sufficiently elastic to permit the said ears to yield as they pass over the ends of the frame, and react to spring back of the frame. Their hold of the frame, while sufficient to retain the parts in their working position, is of such a yielding nature that when it is desired to disengage or readjust the suspender, the clamping-plate may be readily turned upon the frame to disengage the ears.

The interlocking of the clam ping-plate and frame overcomes the difficulties hereinbefore referred to in the previous construction of buckle, and insures the parts being held in their engaged position without liability of accidental derangement.

WVhile I have described the buckle as with the upper side a at the front and the clamping-plate at the rear of the said upper side, it will be understood that the buckle may be reversed in its position, so that the upper side a, may be upon the inside, while the jaw will be upon the outside of the strap. I therefore use the term backward and forward and front and rear only as illustrative of the drawings and with the understanding that the invention is not to be confined to making either one side or the other the front of the buckle.

I claim The hereindescribed improvement in buckles, consisting of aframe composed of an upper and lower side a I), connected by ends 0, the upper side a turned forward out of the plane of the body of the frame, combined with a clamping-plate e, constructed with holes h 7L, through which the ends of the frame pass, and whereby the said clampingplate is adapted to slide up and down and also to swing backward and forward upon said side, the said plate constructed with a loopf near its upper edge, and with a jaw g, corresponding to the upper side of the frame a, and so that the strap may be grasped between the said jaw and the said upper side a, the ends of the said clamping-plate turned backward and inward, and so as to yieldingly interlock with the ends of the frame when in the clamping position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT D. SMITH.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. TERRY, NATHL. R. BRONSON. 

